Our immediate goal is to raise $50,000 for the orphanage. This money is to go entirely for providing the basic needs of the kids: 3 meals a day with meat, fruits, and vegetables; drinking water, medical care; and school fees. None of the money Heidi and I are raising is intended for brick and mortar projects. Those projects are needed and good, but our priority is the basic day-to-day lifestyle of the kids.
Heidi and I wake up each day and ask what we need to do today to raise $50,000. We have been at the orphanage for 59 days and, although we are only inching along, we are starting to see some progress.
First, we are expanding the base of child sponsors. Our goal is 100 new sponsors who give monthly gifts to the orphanage and develop a relationship with their child (via care packages, letters, etc.). As of today we have found 26 new sponsors. Only 74 to go!
The best way for us to find new sponsors is for you and your church to host a Child Sponsorship Weekend, perhaps in January or February. We’ll provide you with everything you need (even a speaker from the orphanage if your church allows it!) including materials on kids who need a sponsor and information on how EASY it is to sponsor a child.
If you and your church would like to host a weekend, please contact me.
Second, God has opened a really cool window of opportunity with a non-profit organization called Living Zoe. This is such a simple way to raise money for the orphanage: basically you click on our customized link and then shop online at hundreds of retailers (Target, Amazon, Best Buy, Barnes and Nobles, Home Depot, etc.) and TCM receives anywhere from a 2%-20% kickback on your shopping. There are no strings attached! It’s a Win>Win>Win! It’s a win for you the shopper because you don’t do anything special except buy the items you were going to buy anyway. It’s a win for the orphanage because it’s passive income for them. And it’s a win for the retailers because they WANT people to buy online because it saves them money on overhead.
Here’s our link. Please click here every time you go Christmas shopping this month! Save the link as a favorite on your toolbar!
Third, we are seeking 3 churches to host a fundraising banquet. The Dayton banquet we began over ten years ago still continues, providing $5,000 to $18,000 per year from a single event. We’re looking for brave churches to continue on this precedent. A banquet in the winter, in the spring, and in the summer would complement the Dayton banquet held each fall, and also provide regular influxes of large funds throughout the year. Heidi and I have written a short booklet on how to pull-off a successful banquet which we can send you. If you’re interested, contact me.
Fourth, we work as hard as we can but we know the results are up to God. This entire adventure is by faith. By faith we sold our stuff and moved out of our house. By faith we are raising our kids in Tijuana, Mexico, despite the doom-and-gloom comments from friends about how unsafe it is. By faith we trust that our Father will provide these kids with everything they need to flourish and thrive, understanding that at this point in time, He has given us responsibility to work with Him to see this happen. It’s all by faith. We work hard every day, but we know the results are up to Him. We trust Him.
As of today, we have over $10,000 in pledged funds from the above initiatives, so we’re one-fifth of the way home.
